The Children's Christmas Pageant

It's been a busy several weeks with our final RV trip, a trip to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and the subsequent preparations for Christmas. I've had so little time to write. However, I decided to share with you one recent Christmas memory. It is from Christmas 2012 when we went to the Christmas Eve service with our daughter's family in Iowa. The children presented their program as we looked on with delight, and a good bit of concealed, but adoring laughter. It is a very fond memory for me, and since we are in the midst of grand adult Christmas cantatas, school holiday programs, and children's church pageants, I wanted to share this with you. I wish all grandparents that are able to see their grandchildren perform, and parents who want everything to go perfectly for their young ones revel in the moment when the halo fails to sit where it belongs, and the star-struck ones soldier on holding fast to their 'pink kitty'. For the story of the Nativity doesn't celebrate the perfection in our lives. It celebrates the night when nothing was going right for Mary and Joseph, but in the end our lives were made perfect. Merry Christmas.

The Littlest Angel; a Christmas Story

The children's choir walked up the center aisle of the church, tallest ones leading, followed by the smaller ones. The procession stopped at the front of the church, off to the side of the manger scene. Moms, dads and grandparents strained to see their little ones as they prepared to sing the songs that went with the Christmas pageant. The voluminous old white choir gowns that passed for angel costumes had seen many pageants over the years. 

The littlest angel stood in the front row, her head just shoulder height to the other 'angels' in the choir. Her long locks draped over the shoulder of her white angel gown that was several sizes too big and reached nearly to her shoes. Her brother, a full head and shoulder taller than her, stood on one side, while the older children stood around them. Tinsel garland halos encircled their heads.

A chorus of young voices rang clear as they sang the first song. "O come all ye faithful..." sang her brother earnestly. His head bobbed up and down as he emphasized each syllable. And with each syllable, his halo dipped further and further across his brow. He reached up to steady it and push it back in place. 

The littlest angel sang not a word, but looked silently out at the congregation clutching her old pink kitty, the one concession her mother made as she talked her into joining the other children in the angel choir. Her little fist wrapped around it's neck clutching it to her. 'Meow' would not have lived long had he had air in his lungs instead of stuffing. Not with that grip. 

The next song began. She moved not a muscle, except her eyes, which shifted from left to right searching out anyone who would come rescue her. As her eyes moved back and forth they reminded her mother of the eyes on the black and white cat clock she'd seen in cartoons. In the congregation, her grandparents sat grinning proudly from ear to ear as they watched their adorable grandchildren. 

The littlest angel looked down at the floor. Her halo slipped over her face and dropped to the ground. Only her head moved as she looked back up. A boy sitting on the step in front of her picked up the garland and passed it to her brother. Matter-of-factly, and oblivious of the people looking on, he dutifully took the garland, turned to his sister and began to arrange it on her head. The billowing sleeve of his robe draped over her face as he patted it into place. 

In the congregation, the grandparents sat hiding their laughter as they watched the two, coping with the dilemma of costumes, songs, and propriety, but their shaking shoulders gave them away. 

The third song began. The halo slipped down. The littlest angel did not move. The older brother picked it up and turned to his sister. As the rest of the choir sang, they faced each other, she looking up at him trusting him to fix everything. He shaped the garland, arranged it on her head, studied his work, adjusted the halo, and patted it into place, again. Pink kitty dangled limply at her side, but as long as he was there, and her brother took care of her, she could make it through the show. 

And the grandparents wiped their eyes, stilled their shoulders, and beamed at their grandchildren. For what is a Christmas pageant without a littlest angel, and her big brother to look after her.

MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A Two-Year Old's Vocabulary

I'm staying with Jen and Dave these days to help take care of Zachary while his current babysitter is unavailable. I love these days with the kids. I haven't been here for close to a year, although I've seen them a couple of times in that period. This gives me a chance to reconnect with Nicholas and get to know Zachary a little better. He is two. He is self-absorbed. He is determined. He rules the world. As far as he is concerned, It's All About ME!!!

Zachary's idea of getting to know you is to give you a big hug-- a wonderful hug, I might add-- and to make sure you know EXACTLY what he wants and what he doesn't want. That's a tall order for an itty bitty thing that has a working vocabulary of about 5 words.

Mama, DADA, Out, UH-UH!, The lesser--Uh Huh!, EW and ME! or MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! depending on the urgency. There are other words, but these are the most important as far as he is concerned.

And yet we always know just what it is he wants.

Most of those are self explanatory. EW is very descriptive and covers everything from sticky hands, to a stinky diaper. EW with a screech probably means "Get that drop of syrup off of my bib this second!" EW means "Clean it Up!"

Then there are hand signals. An outstretched hand opening and closing means "I want to show you something". Wise people will go look. It could be harmless... "I want Elmo out of my bed." Or it could mean "Look! There's a boat floating in the toilet!", OR, "I just helped myself to some vita gummies on the counter." He is a constant reminder that 2 year-olds are fun-loving (note: boat) and resourceful (note: vita gummies).

My favorite hand signal is the one that comes at the end of dinner... or after he eats 3 bites and hands his plate back. "Dada!," he says. When Dave looks at him he holds his arms out in front of him, makes a tight fist with his hands, and his whole upper body tenses and shakes---his sign for Cold--or in this case, ICE CREAM! His light blue eyes positively light up at the thought! If dada ignores him he tries it again, a little louder. By the 3rd time his eyes have a fierce look, the shaking has taken on earthquake proportions, and he sends as much energy as he can muster into that look so there can be no mistaking what he wants!

Today we have heard a lot of  UH-UH, and MEEEEEEE!!! Today he is ornery and full of himself. Whatever I suggest, (or need to do) he's got other plans.

"Zachary, it's time for lunch." "Uh-Uh"

I try again, "Yep, It's time for lunch!," I say enthusiastically. "UH-UH!" he answers with more defiance.

"Do you want a hot dog, or Peanut butter?" UH-UH!

I change tactics.
"Then it's time for a nap." UH-UH!!

Lunch or Nap?  UH-UH!!!  Each response is louder and higher in pitch.

Finally we settle on lunch.

"Let's get in your chair." MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! he says racing to the chair.
I slowly back away, lest it escalates again, and let him climb in his chair by himself.
I heat his hot dog in the microwave and transfer it to his plastic plate.

UH-UH!!!!! he says pushing away his plate.
This, I have learned, doesn't mean he doesn't want it. It means if I fixed it on one plate, that's the plate HE expects to be served on. I put the hot dog back on the paper plate and give that to him.

I am learning. There are tricks to feeding him. There are ways to cajole him into doing what you want. And there are times when you will never win, until you pull out the Parent Card:  "When all else fails, remember YOU ARE BIGGER!" As parents, next to patience, it is the best card we have.

I'm Too Old for This! -- Part 3 of the Family Visit

It started innocently enough. 2 months ago my daughter asked if I'd like to keep her two kids for 5 days when she and her husband came for a visit this summer. They planned to visit for 2 weeks, but the first week she wanted to travel with her husband while he worked in Canada if I would keep the kids. Truthfully, I may be crazy, but I was excited! I couldn't wait!

Then the day drew closer. I started thinking about what toys I needed, how I would keep them busy, what activities we could do. There is the vision... order, activities, control...

And then there is reality...

Staying with my grandkids during the day is one thing, but when I realize I'm responsible for them while their parents are away I'm always a little apprehensive. Willing, looking forward to it, Sure! But aware of the responsibility!

Day 1: 6:00am--everyone is up to say bye to Mom and Dad. Terror, Apprehension, Excitement, Happy--how do you feel all four at once? I do.

Paberry laughs as he sees me scope out the PBS and Nick Jr. Schedule. When is Curious George on??? A MOST important question. Answer: 8:00am and 3:30pm. Followed by Sesame Street.
I am armed with knowledge.

11:00am--I take the kids to Fun For All, the local arcade, and ball pit. Warren disappears as soon as his shoes are off. Samantha is too little to climb up into the gigantic climbing house, and I'm too old to go up with her. (I don't bend well enough anymore.) "Emily" (9?) offers to help Sam up to the next level. Off they go.

Watching them play and searching for arcade games Warren can do is fun. I don't get to do 'grandma' stuff like this very often. But I'm not naïve. It's day 1. This is as much an adventure for them as it is for me. And adventures can wear off when things become routine.

Warren and Samantha help me make dinner. We mix and roll meatballs, and then make muffins. Dinner will be a hit as long as there are muffins!

7:00pm--Was it the muffins? These kids are crazy! Warren has been 'building towns' all over the house with blocks. He and Samantha are zooming everywhere, singing (loudly), building 'Maggie gates' with pillows. transforming orderly into.....? "Vision" is gone. "Reality" is here.

Dinner, bath, bed....the day has gone smoothly, but I am tired. I grab a shower and then sink into the couch. Ahh, shhh....do you hear that? Peace!

Day 2: 6:00am--REALLY?? I have to get up now? If I want to get up before the munchkins roll out of bed and are off and running, the answer is yes. Brushing my teeth I can barely see myself in the mirror. I'm an 8am person. Not 6.

11:00am--We've made Play Doh. The sky is gray but the weather man has promised it will clear this afternoon. I desperately need to mow the grass and most of the week has rain in the forecast. I sit down to check the weather. The local forecast is about to come on. The couch is comfy. ....

"Granberry? Are you asleep?"

OOPs. I open one eye and give a little nod to Warren. The local forecast has just ended!  Thank goodness for DVR. I replay the forecast. If I can get the energy, I'll be able to mow while Samantha naps. But for now, I can't budge off the couch. Yep. It's only been 30 hours and already I'm beat. 3 more days to go.

9:00pm--"OW."

That's all I can say. My feet hurt, my back is so tight it is hard to stand up. I have no idea why I feel so tired. I've mowed the grass for the last 6 years so that shouldn't be it. But whatever it is, I hurt. Sam is in bed, but not asleep. Warren just went to bed and crashed. My shower is done.

I'm done. OW.

Day 3: 6:00am.--Here we go again. I'm amazed. Advil kicked in while I slept and this morning I feel fine!

It's sunny but storms are on the way. We hit the playground first thing in the morning (after I remembered to slather on their sunscreen--what a good grandma am I!) and then came home for lunch. Sam napped. I did errands. I think I'm hitting my stride.

Last night, as I brushed Sam's hair, she leaned against me and said "I like you Granberry." Ahh, no sweeter words for a long-distance grandma!

Today, she loves me enough to start ignoring me. She ran away when I called her, 3 times! (The kids are hitting their stride, too.) Both learned what 'quiet time' meant, and Sam discovered Granberry can be tough, as I took away her two pink kitties for not listening to me.

We may have reached an understanding as manners were now on high display during dinner. But the after dinner crazy time continues! I haven't mastered the art of settling them down to sleep.

Day 4: 6:00am--Sleep! Please!! A bad storm last night had me awake for over an hour. With every thunder clap I had to check and see if it woke up the kids. They, of course, slept through the storm, but were up by 6:30.

Instantly they were into everything and each other. Larry just looked, shook his head, and said, "It looks like you're in for a rough one."

8:00am--Curious George--better known as Granberry's Magic Moment-- is on. Ah, Quiet. The key is to keep them focused. As soon as George is over, we head outside to ride bikes. (Take advantage of sun when it's here! It's supposed to rain in the afternoon.)

10:00am.--Kids are at the kitchen table with the Activity Box. Do-A-Dots, paper, foam, markers for Warren. Sam has a tub of mixed dried beans she is measuring, scooping, and pouring. I've vacuumed, done 2 loads of wash, and the dishwasher is finishing up. Peace reigns. I'm feeling pretty good about myself!

10:45am.--I was only out of the room for 3 minutes! I swear! (Maybe 4, but still!!!) I checked something on the computer and came back to see 2 cups of dried beans scattered on the kitchen floor! "WHAT happened?" I asked. Warren ducks his head busily working on his project.

"I have no idea," he says.

I ask Sam. "I don't know." she answers innocently.

11:30am--Sam is almost finished picking up all the beans. Gotta give it to her, she can stick to a task.

2:00pm--Sam is down for a nap. I carry the last load of laundry upstairs to put away. Maggie follows me. We both eye our beds. I lay down for a sec. Maggie does the same.

It feels so good, but I have visions of a police officer at the door asking me why the "5 year old is 3 blocks down near the busy highway". Inspired, I drag myself downstairs, but I have a new understanding for news stories when 'the mother was sleeping while her toddler wandered away from the house." I'm too old for this, I think to myself.

How, I wonder, do all those young moms have time to hop on Facebook and post pictures of their adorable kids? I've barely had time to look at my iPhone, and I fall asleep watching the weather!

Day 5: 6:00am--Waking up is a little easier. Is it becoming more natural, or is it because I know today is the last day I will have to be up before the two little ones? Tonight, their mom and dad are coming home. Tomorrow, Jan will be the one to wake up early! YEA!!! That sounds pretty good!

4:00pm--We are on our way to Chambersburg to see Nanny. The rest of the family will meet us there for a mini-family reunion. I can't wait to see everyone!

Jan calls to let me know that they are stuck in LaGuardia Airport for the 2nd time this week. They don't know when they will get in. A series of phone calls ensue as they explore options. "Mom, you're sounding a little panicky! Ready to get rid of two little kids?" she asks?

OK...here comes confession time. Up to this point this post was written several weeks ago while I was taking care of the kids.

Jan, Mike and Larry finally made it to Chambersburg at 11:30pm. I was sitting in a dark hotel room while my two angels slept waiting for their mommy and daddy.

With the passage of time I can look back with some perspective. I am no longer exhausted. My ears are no longer ringing. A happy surprise....I lost 2 pounds that week )and it has stayed off!) My house has returned to normal...a house for 2 and not for 10. Already I miss everyone. Yes, I am too old for this.

But I bet I'd do it again in a heartbeat.